Sketch up Material libraries

[tim]

Having recently got to grips with Sketch up 4, I am generally very impressed with the software.

Its ability to help me translate images from my head onto a screen incredibly quickly and in a form that resembles what I was actually thinking of, (I cannot draw to save my life) is very gratifying.

However, my one gripe with it is the quality and variety of textures and materials in the various materials libraries. This is especially true with the wood choices - 3 I think even with the bonus pack downloaded.

So I am currently putting together a set of timber images (with various finishes) together that i have got from a variety of sources. If any sketch up user would like them then please PM your email address and I will send them to you. They aren't totally brilliant but they are ceratinly not bad.

At the mo though the only prob is that I can't seem to assimilate them into their own library and so are in a separate directory that can be pointed to as and when. If anyone can tell me how to create a new library then I will do that as well - can't find the info on the help pages.

Given my post lower down, try not to be too smug by offering all your shiny new gmail addresses!!

Cheers

Tim

 

[Neil]

Hi Tim,

Well, I've done this in Sketchup 3.0 by a bit of a back-door route as I couldn't work out a way to do it either. I made a copy of one of the existing libraries (in <install drive>:\@Last Software\SketchUp 3.0\Library on mine) and renamed it to Woods. Then I opened it in Sketchup and deleted all the existing tiles, then added my new ones. It seems to only want to add the new ones to the "In Model" tab rather than the library :roll:, but then I just right-clicked them and selected 'Add to Library'

As far as I have been able to tell, you can't control the direction of a texture when you apply it to the surface of the model, so you will need two tiles for each wood, one with the grain running vertically, and the other one with the image spun through 90 degrees so the grain runs horizontally. Maybe this isn't the case with Version 4?

Your offer to share the libraries is very generous, as I think I have a fair idea how tedious it will be to generate them - PM on its way! By way of a return favour, if you PM me your address I'll mail you a CD of textures I got with another CAD package which may help

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Philly]

Neil
V4 is much improved-definitely a great improvement without changing the layout, working methods. Worth a look!
Philly

 

[Neil]

Thanks, Philly - I'll check it out

Cheers,
Neil

 

[RogerS]

Tim

In version 4..Mac version...there's a folder called textures and inside there are loads of jpgs with names such as gravel.jpg; shingles-wood.jpg. Is that what you mean?

I agree with you that it's a greta program....just a tad expensive $475..ouch

 

[Neil]

So I am currently putting together a set of timber images (with various finishes) together that i have got from a variety of sources

Tim has very kindly given permission for me to post the textures to UploadIt - you can download them here (277KB Zip)

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Pete W]

Here are couple of links to texture libraries that have a lot of woods of various kinds. Some are very large, others are smaller but meant to 'tile' seamlessly - I don't use Sketchup, so I don't know how it handles texture images, but my other hobby is 3d graphics (in Newtek Lightwave of Star Trek fame!).


http://textures.forrest.cz/
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~pbourke/texture/
http://www.animax.it

 

[Neil]

Thanks, Pete - those links are really useful

Cheers,
Neil